First Days and Grave Goodbye's
by RonohBloodyhell
Summary: The battle is over and the War has been won. But at what cost? Tragedy and heartbreak has befallen the Golden Trio in the year leading up to the war. But what about the first days after it? Follow our heroes as they come to terms with the end of the dark times and the beginnings of a new age.
1. Where Home Once Was

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights go to J.K Rowling. Quotes from Order of the Phoenix, and Deathly Hallows. **

**First Days and Grave Goodbyes **

**-Chapter 1-  
Where Home Once Was**

-May 2nd 1998-

Hogwarts: A broken home to a young man who had just had the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders. Love loss, triumph and tragedy, just the average day at the office for the young man who had defeated the darkest evil ever to have walked the Earth. Faces of the fallen flashed across his mind as tears leaked from Harry's eyes. Memories of Colin, Fred, Remus and so many others haunted him as he moved through the castle grounds. They say war is nothing more than what the loser settled for, it is very rarely the side who is actually right that triumphs over wrong.

Harry turned and ran, ran until he reached the Astronomy tower. Slowly he climbed the stairs to the top. He was dreadfully tired, but he knew that he would never sleep. Not until the day was done. Harry's mind flashed back to earlier that day, then events …

_*Flashback*  
"Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room. The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest. The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.  
It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch... And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though a high wind and then fell back into place._

_-Break-  
And Percy was shaking his brother, and Ron was kneeling beside them, and Fred's eyes stared without seeing, the ghost of his last laugh still etched upon his face._

_-Break-  
Harry had a clear view of the bodies lying next to Fred: Remus and Tonks, pale and still and peaceful-looking, apparently asleep beneath the dark, enchanted ceiling.  
*End Flashback*_

Harry stared out at the wreckage that had just hours ago had played host to the greatest battle in Wizarding history. "Is a peaceful life really too much to ask for" Harry whispered to himself "Is it wrong to just want to live quietly, out of the public eye"

A loud bang permeated the quiet that had befallen the castle. Harry whipped around wand already in hand, thinking the battle had resumed. It turned out part of the castle had given way, falling the distance to the ground below. Shakily, Harry put his wand away. After a life of toil, it was going to take society a long time to get used to this new age. A new dawn had befallen the Wizarding world. The dark ages had come to pass, but light had prevailed. Vanquishing darkness.

Harry turned to again to stare out at the grounds whilst again whispering to himself. "A new age has been born, and with it the world must take up new responsibilities. Together we must protect what we have fought for, longed for and gone as far as to die for. If we do not do this, then all that we did was for nothing. All those that died would have died in vain. We cannot take that chance, we cannot let that happen"

Harry then turned his attention to Hogwarts "Hogwarts" He whispered "I once thought that you were my home. I was young, an orphan to a war I knew nothing about. I was lost and alone, and then you found me. You took me in and guided me, helping me become who I am today. Today you taught me that it is not the place that makes it feels like home, but the people that make it feel that way. I have found the things I have looked for forever. So Hogwarts, you are no longer home, but the memories still remain and will surely forever linger. So thank you Hogwarts….. It has been totally awesome. To Hogwarts I toast. To where our home once was"

**-May 3****rd**** 1998-**

Slowly Harry moved towards the front of the Great Hall. He had been asked to speak to the community in the light of the victory over Voldemort. He had not wanted to do so, but families were grieving and needed the closure that he could possibly give. They needed him, Harry Potter to tell them that their families and friends hadn't died for nothing.

"Ladies and Gentleman" Harry announced as he turned to face the hall "Today I speak to you at the dawn of new age. A new age full of peace of peace and prosperity, a time where we do not need to live in fear that tomorrow, we may be dead. We. Were. Victorious! Together we vanquished the oncoming storm. Today, we stand and watch together as the sun breaks through the clouds, covering our world in a positive light for the first time in nearly four years" Harry paused to look at the crowd, many of which already had tears in their eyes at his words. Many sported small smiles at the power in which he spoke, encouraging people that they were out with the bad, in with the new.

"I now need to turn my attention to all the innocent that fell in the darkness of war. We have lost over fifty innocent and brave people in the last two days. However, they did not die in vain! They died for freedom, they died for hope. They died with the belief that everything would be better one. They died in the attempt to make the world a better place. They died so that we can live out the rest of our lives, not in fear, but in peace. For that we must thank them! We must remember them, and for a while we must grieve for the fallen. However, we should not remember them for what become of them, we should be thankful for who they were. We need to be thankful of the memories and good times we created. They did not die in vain, and we should remember that"

With that, Harry walked back towards his preferred seat, ignoring the applause as slowly a stray tear leaked from his eye.

Times of hope and times of peace,  
A honest victor shall emerge,  
To fight for a worlds peace.


	2. Was It Really Worth It?

**May 4****th**** 1998 **

Ron wandered aimlessly around the castle grounds, most of which lay in ruin from the events of recent. Just days ago, Hogwarts had played host to the biggest battle in Wizarding history. One question came to Ron as he gazed around at the wreckage that had once been his school. "_Was it really worth it?" _he asked of himself.

He really wanted to just be alone, but he knew people would begin to worry if he went missing. Knowing this, he moved into the Entrance Hall, found the most comfortable bit of floor and sat with his eyes closed. He could feel the eyed boring into him, all from people who wanted to praise him to thank him for what he, Harry and Hermione had done to aid Voldemort's ultimate downfall. He didn't want the thanks, he didn't want the praise. He, Harry and Hermione they were just another three victims of a war they had been born into. They had all lost people: Harry had lost his parents; Hermione had Obliviated hers to keep them safe whilst Ron, from the poorest family who didn't have much had lost his brother. Fred was gone, and there was nothing anybody could do about it. Again the question milled around in his head _"Was it really worth it?"_

Ron felt a presence to his left and flinched when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Harry had sat down beside him. His battle worn eyes had a soft tint in them. "You okay mate?" he asked.

"Not really" Ron responded.

"Didn't think you would be, not after everything we've been through to get where we are today" Harry said quietly, it was true, they had sacrificed so much. Everything from their childhood to their friends and family.

"Harry" Ron said gently "Do you think it was really worth it?" he asked.

"How do you mean?"

"Was the loss greater than the victory in the end? I mean, we lost so much more than we could ever have anticipated. Friends, f-family- for every victory we took against dark side we seemed to lose so much more in the end, was it really worth it?"

"Ron, do you remember my speech from yesterday?"

"Of course"

"Well, I'm going to recite some of it you now" Harry needed to get through to Ron, and this was the best way. Harry then began to recite a passage from near the end of his speech. "We have lost over fifty innocent and brave people in the last two days. However, they did not die in vain! They died for freedom, they died for hope. They died with the belief that everything would be better one day. They died in the attempt to make the world a better place. They died so that we can live out the rest of our lives, not in fear, but in peace. For that we must thank them! We must remember them, and for a while we must grieve for the fallen. However, we should not remember them for what become of them, we should be thankful for who they were. We need to be thankful of the memories and good times we created. They did not die in vain, and we should remember that"

"What is your point?" Ron asked.

"My point Ron is that yes we did lose more than we could have anticipated. Yes we did lose family, friends and many of our brothers in arms. Consider it though; they died for what they believed in and eventually we came out on top. Hope always triumphs over experience. Laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death. We conquered darkness and we did it as a team"

"I guess your right mate; we fought for the right reasons. We conquered the darkness and now we can enter a new era. A new golden age can begin, and we can be the new storytellers"

"That's it mate, now, why don't why we go find Hermione"

"Good idea"

As Ron stood, he remembered the words of Muggle man. "A man who stands for nothing, will fall for anything" Ron wasn't going to be that man. He was going to live life, he was going to enjoy it and he was going allow himself grieve. But then he was going to try to be happy.

When the power of love,  
Overcomes the love of power,  
The world will know peace.  
~ Jimi Hendrix ~


End file.
